New wreck discovered in South China Sea

Fishermen are reported to have discovered another ancient shipwreck, complete with cargo, in the South China Sea near Vung Tau off the South East coast of Vietnam.

Initial reports following the discovery on
September 7 pointed to a 14th century date for the vessel, with
what appears to be a number of pieces of porcelain, largely intact,
being brought to the surface.

However, Bonhams' global head of Asian Art,
Colin Sheaf, who has seen a picture of some of the recovered
porcelain, believes the wreck may date from later.

"If this boat is confirmed as 14th century,
it will be an interesting Yuan dynasty 'blue and white porcelain'
parallel to the Yuan shipwreck of Chinese celadon excavated in
Korean waters a long while ago," he told ATG. "Almost all Chinese
porcelain-trading shipwrecks found so far in the South China Sea
date from at least 150 years later, when the export trade to the
north coasts of the Indonesian islands was much busier."

Coins discovered on the ship may help to
date it more accurately.

It is not yet clear how large the cargo is, or how much of the
ship remains.

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